Carriage for concrete mixers and distributors



Oct. 23, 1928. 1,689,143

J. c. LUKACHOVIC ET AL CARRIAGE FOR CONCRETE MIXERS' AND DISTRIBUTORS Filed April 13, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 23, 1928.

. 1,689,143 J. c. LUKACHOVIC ET AL CARRIAGE FOR CONCRETE MIXERS AND DISTRIBUTORS Filed April 13, 1926 2 '2 Sheets-Sheet mmumu g.

, Patented Uct. 23, 1928.

UNETE resales eras.

JOSEPH G. LUKACHOVIC, OF CHICAGO, AND HARRY C. PETERS, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.-

CARRIAGE FOR CONCRETE MIXERS AND DISTRIBUTORS.

Application filed. April 13. 192.6.

The improvements relate to concrete mixing and distributing apparatus in which a rotary drum provided with mixing blades or wings on its interior and mounted on a suit able frame or carriage having traction means is employed. They are primarily intended for use in concrete paving machines, in which the concrete materials or aggregates are mixed and distributed to the pavement under construction and which is provided with a tractor for the travel of the machine along the grade as the pavement is laid, but have other applications, as will be apparent from the following description.

The objects of the improvements, among others, are to provide means for adjusting the mixing drum and its carriage so that it can be leveled and maintained in its proper position with respect to the horizontal on grades and uneven surfaces, and will, with the devices for charging it with solid and liquid materials and for discharging the mixed concrete, be maintained in position for the most eflicient and satisfactory operation. Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those familiar with the construction and operation of devices of this character. I

Concrete road paving is usually conducted in localities where grades are encountered, and the mixing and distributing apparatus is therefore frequently operated on surfaces which are not level but present an upward or downward incline. At times also the road bed has inequalities which cause the apparatus to stand at an angleto the horizontal. This has an effect on the operation of the blades in the mixing drum which are secured infixed relation thereto, and not only impair their efliciency but cause them to act abnormally. It also has an effect on the capacity of the mixer in unmixed aggregates and mixed concrete and on the rate of discharge of the mixed concrete therefrom; and if the mixer is operating at fullcapacity it is usually desirable to maintain it on a horizontal plane to obtain the best results, whereas if it is op erating at less than full capacity, as it usually is, some advantage can be gained by having the drum slightly inclined toward its discharge end or towards its charging end, so as to accelerate or retard the discharge. In some cases also it may be desirable to vary the action of the mixing blades in this manner, as. for instance, to better adapt their action to the particular materials, their pro- Serial No. 101,635

portions or conditions. The present im-" provements provide means for adjusting the level of the drum under all working conditions, at all times and for any desired purpose.

accompanying drawings, referredto herein, and 111 which Figure l is a verticallongitudinal section through the middle of a mixer mounted on aplatform with a tractor indicated diagrammatically;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken medially of the means for adjusting the level of the mixer and its platform on the tractor, with the tractor and some of the parts shown in full lines.

The mixing drum 1 has a charging opening 2 and a discharging opening 3, and blades t and 5 fixed to the inner surface of its shell,

The improvements are illustrated in'the the former adapted to mix the aggregates v and move them toward the discharge end, and the latter adapted to mix them, move them away from the discharge end, lift them and dump them from a point above mid height of the drum on to a discharge chute inserted through the discharge opening. "The particular arrangement and construction of the drum and its blades are not, however, a

50 or other discharge device which may be part of the present improvements, and any I suitable construction and arrangement may be employed. The drum is rotated by toothed rollers 6 mounted on a sh aft 7 connected with some source of power, which rollers mesh with annular racks S runnmg around the drum, and its rotating and supporting means the drumlis full the level of the charge or batch will be represented by the horizontal dotted line in that figure. It- Will be understood, however, that these dotted lines are H merely for the purpose of explanation and are not intended to represent accurately the position of the materials. In actual operation, with any ordinary type of advancing and discharging blades, such as the blades 4 and 5, the batch will heap up more or less in the middle of the drum, depending to some extent on the character and condition of the aggregates and the wetness of the mix. This is due to the action of the blades commonly employed, which are now usually of two drum with a charge which would overflow the openings in. its two heads if the drum were stopped. But in order to secure a quick discharge, and thus save time, power and labor,.the return blades must be given a. lifting. capacity in excess of that necessary for mixing, and these blades are therefore usual.- ly formedinto lifting pockets between the discharge end and the middle of the drum. The result of this is that during the mixing period, and before the discharge chute 50 is swung into the drum to catch and discharge the mixed concrete a much larger percentage of the aggregates is in. the zone of the lifting pockets-or bucketsthan at other parts of the drum, and this percentage will, of course, depend largely on the fluidity of the mix, and the character and condition of the materials. It may therefore sometimes be desirable to give the drum a tilt or cant in the direction of the charging opening so asto even up the dis tribution of the batch to some extent, and thus utilize the space at the charging end of the drum. On the other hand where the drum is being operated with a somewhat reduced charge it may be desirable to give the drum an inclination in the direction of the discharge opening, and thus obtain the ad vantage of a quick discharge when the concrete has been mixed. In both cases the speed and efficiency of the mixer is increased, and a. material saving in the cost of the mixing and discharging operation and the placing of the concrete effected. On a job involving miles of concrete pavement or other large contract, this may make the difference be tween a profit and a lossto the contractor. It will be seen, therefore. that the present improvements are of. considerable importance regardless of their value in providing means for leveling the apparatus on grades.

The platform, as shown, consists of a heavy sheet metal top 10, sides 11 and ends 12 of channel iron, with beams or cross members 13, 14 and 15, allriveted together. In a housing. frame 16 fixed in the channels 14 and 15, a sliding block 17 is mounted. and on a frame comprising the flanges 18 fixed to the b ock. the plate 19 and the bearing member 20, a

' tractor of the caterpillar variety, indicated at 21 is mounted. This indicated form of tractor, however, is not essential, and any serviceable tractor may be employed, or the mixer and its platformwhich usuallycarries other devices and apparatusmay be mounted on rollers or wheels.

To the top of. the sliding block 17 a threaded post 22 extending up through the platform is secured, and this post is held in position and supported against lateral movement by a collar 23 securely mounted in the cap 24% fixed on. the top of the frame 16 to rotate, the post being held against rotation by the pin 25, passed through an elongated hole at its lower end and through the upper part of. the sliding block.v The collar 23 is interiorly threaded to receive the threads of the post 22, and on its lower face has. a mitred gear 26 which meshes with the bevel gear. 27 fixed on the end of the short shaft. 28 iournaled in. the

lateral extension 16 of. the frame 1.6. On the outer end of the shaft. 28 the large gear 29 is keyed, and. this gear meshes with the small gear 30 keyed to the end of the shaft 31 mounted in hangers 32 fixed. to the lower flanges of the channels 13 and 14 of the-platform.

Any suitable means may be employed for rotating the shaft 31 as for instance the pawl and ratchet device indicated. at 33 and 34:, which comprises a ratchet 34 fixed to the shaft and a pawl 33 adapted to engage it and rotate it, and with it the shaft- A spring 35 acts to hold the pawl in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet through an arm 36 keyed to the pivot 87 of the pawl, an operating arm 88 for the pawl beingprovided. Preferably this pawl is made: in double form, so that it can be swung. to engage the other side of the ratchet, and thus cause the reciprocation of the operating arm to move the shaft 31 in one direction or the other,to raise or lower the platform- The details of the operating means, however, are not important, and by having the gears 29 and 30 of rel.- ative diameter to give greater power an ordinary crank on the end. of the shaft 31 may be employed.

The upper end of the post 22 is housed in the closed tube 39 mounted on the top of the platform, to protect it from grit and dirt and also to protect it and its threads against injury from other causes.

As indicated in Fig. 1 at 40, one axle of the carriage is stationary, and the other is arranged to be raised and lowered by the mechanism just described. To do this it is only necessary to rotate the shaft 31. and thereby rotate the'collar 23, through the intermediate gears, and thus raise and lower the post 22 carrying the sliding block 17.. This may be done at any time, and very quickly, and. may be accomplished while the apparatus is traveling and while the mixing drum is in operation, so that the proper adjustment may be made, and with accuracy, whenever it is necessary or desirable.

lVhile the particula advantages of the improvements in connection with a mixer of the rotary drum type with blades has been described in detail, they are not limited to such particular use, and have important advantages in connection with a concrete paving machine employing any desired type of mixer and a loading ship or hopper and discharge chute. Such loading skips are usually pivoted on the mixer frame and are so mounted and arranged as to be lowered to the ground to receive a charge then elevated by being swung on the pivot to a point above the horizontal. Therefore when the frame of the machine is on an incline the skip, while it comes up to the same relative angle as regards the frame, does not come up to the same angle as regards the horizontal and therefore will not discharge its load as quickly or as well. The same applies to the discharge chute. WVith the present improvements, however, the frame of the machine may be maintained in proper position with respect to the horizontal under all condition-s, and the normal speed and eiiiciency of the charge and discharge thus maintained. They may also be varied if desired, by adjusting the position of the frame with respect to the horizontal, under all conditions, and to accelerate or retard the charging and discharging operations or to compensate for the nature or condition of the materials, or other conditions.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a mixer comprising a. rotary drum having blades therein mounted to rotate therewith and to move concrete aggregates toward and from its ends, and in other directions and to mix them, said drum having a charging opening in one end and a discharge opening in the other, a support on which said drum is fixed, traction means mounted on said drum support and carrying the same, and means for varying the degree of mixing of said drum including tilting means for adjusting the relation of said traction means to the drum in the line of travel of the former.

2. In a concrete mixing and distributing apparatus, a mixing receptacle, means for discharging the same and means for mixing the materials therein, a traveling carriage upon which said mixing receptacle is mounted and means for tilting a portion of said carriage with respect to said receptacle lengthwise of the line of travel and for holding same in different tilted positions, whereby thethoroughness of the mix may be accelerated or retarded.

3. In a concrete mixing and distributing apparatus, a mixing receptacle, means for discharging the same and means for mixing the materials therein, said mixing means comprising blades mounted to rotate and arranged to move the materials toward and from opposite ends thereof simultaneously, a traveling carriage upon which said mixing receptacle is mounted and a group of operatively connected mechanisms for adjusting a portion of said carriage with respect to said receptacle whereby the mixing function of the receptacle may be accelerated or retarded.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, means for raising'and discharging concrete forming materials into a mixing device, a mixing device and means for discharging the materials therefrom, a frame on which all three means are mounted for operation, traction means upon which the said frame is mounted above the ground and means for adjustin the said traction means with respect to the Irame in the plane of the line of travel thereof, whereby to compensate for uneven terrain and to vary the position of said mixing device for accelerating or retarding its functions.

5. In the mechanism specified in claim 4, said adjusting means comprising a jack device connected with the frame and with the traction means, and means for operating it to raise or lower a portion of the tract-ion means, and a connection between the traction means and the frame permitting pivotal movement of the former with respect to the latter.

6. In a concrete mixing and distributing apparatus, a mixing receptacle having charging and discharging openings therein, a base on which said mixing receptacle is mounted, tractors for said base, means for adjusting the level of said tractors with respect to the said receptacle comprising spaced supports for the base on the tractors and means associated with one'of said supports for raising and lowering a portion of the tractors thereby, said receptacle being mounted on said base between said supports, whereby the pitch of said receptacle may be varied at will and thus accelerate or retard the mixing thereof. 1

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a mixer comprising a rotary drum having blades therein mounted to rotate therewith and to move concrete aggregates toward and from its ends and in other directions and to mix them, said drum having a. charging opening in one end and a discharging opening in the ot-her,a support on which said drum is fixed, traction means mounted on said drum support and carrying same, so constructed and arranged as to propel said drum in the direction ofits longitudinal axis, and means for varying the degree of mixing of said drum comprising an adjusting mechanism for varying the relation of the drum support to the traction means in the line of travel thereof.

8; In a device of the character described, the combination of a mixer comprising a rotary drum having blades therein mounted to rotate therewith and to move'concrete aggregates toward and from its ends and in other directions and to mix them, said drum having a charging opening in one end and a discharging opening in the other, a support on which said drum is fixed, traction means mounted on said drum support and carrying same, so constructed and arranged as to propel said drum in the direction of its longitudinal axis,

and means for Varying the position of the drum comprising an adjusting mechanism for varying the relation of the drum support to the traction means in the line of travel thereof whereby the charging and discharging op erations of said drum may be accelerated or retarded.

Witness our hands this 8th day of April, 1926, at Chicago, Illinois. v

JOSEPH o. LUKACHOVIC. HARRY o. PETERS. 

